Grief is universal but the way it is felt and understood is not.
The experience of losing a loved one can create a range of emotions, from anger to sorrow to guilt to despair, and processing these emotions can be extremely difficult.
For some, the pain eventually passes and they are able to move on with their lives but for others, those feelings become something of a quagmire, sucking them deeper and deeper into the pits of agony and making a return to normal everyday living seem impossible.
It is for those who are suffering with this kind of grief, the kind that creeps into every part of life and simply will not be dispelled, that the international organization GriefShare was established.
“It may be hard for you to feel optimistic about the future right now,” the GriefShare website states. “If you’ve lost a spouse, child, family member or friend, you’ve probably found that there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you feel. This can be a confusing time when you feel isolated and have many questions about things you’ve never faced before. GriefShare groups meet weekly to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life.”
GriefShare’s multi-faceted support group includes several key elements that come together to create a robust program that many say is a critical turning point for them.
Comprised of 13-week cycles held multiple times throughout the year, each week GriefShare brings together those struggling with despondency and anguish following the death of someone they love for a formal video presentation that directly addresses one of an array of the aspects of grief.
Members then spend some time discussing what they watched and sharing their own personal experiences, which facilitators encourage them to record in their very own personal grief workbook.
But perhaps the most important aspect of GriefShare isn’t the programming itself, it is the fact that these weekly sessions are led by others who have experienced the same profound losses in their lives, those who can truly connect with attendees and convey a sense of understanding that just cannot come from someone who has never faced the death of a loved one.
Right here in Pahrump, a local chapter of GriefShare has been operating for over six years and dozens upon dozens of area residents have had the chance to experience the incredible sense of relief that can accompany the knowledge that there are in fact others who can grasp the breadth and depth of the pain they are suffering through.
What’s more, over 100 current and former GriefShare members have found a way to move on with their lives or, as the international organization puts it, they have successfully navigated their journey from mourning to joy and found that they can smile again, laugh once more, live their lives to the fullest, as their loved one would have undoubtedly wanted.
The Pahrump chapter of GriefShare recently hosted a Celebration of Life, which comes at the conclusion of each of the 13-week cycles, and the group is now preparing for its next cycle, which will kick off on Saturday, Nov. 27.
In addition to these regular sessions, the group is also poised to hold three special seminars geared toward specific subjects, those of the “Loss of a Spouse” and “Surviving the Holidays”.
The “Loss of a Spouse” session is scheduled to take place this Saturday, Nov. 6 at Central Valley Baptist Church, which has generously provided the venue for the local GriefShare chapter since its inception.
That does not mean that attendees must be part of the Baptist community, however. GriefShare is a nondenominational group that welcomes members of all faiths and anyone who has experienced the devastating loss of their husband, wife or life partner is encouraged to head out on Saturday to take part in the special Loss of a Spouse seminar.
Following the Loss of a Spouse session, the Pahrump GriefShare group will then host a meeting targeting the difficult topic of “Surviving the Holidays”.
No matter who a person may have lost and no matter how long ago that loss may have occurred, the holidays can be a particularly trying time.
With so much festivity focused on family and friends, embracing the holidays can be extraordinarily grueling but the facilitators at GriefShare can help attendees learn to deal with the emotions that occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas can induce.
The first of the “Surviving the Holidays” sessions is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 20 while the second will take place Saturday, Dec. 18. All those worried about how they will face the holidays this year are invited out for an afternoon of support and understanding.
“This group has been so blessed with great leadership, and support from Central Valley Baptist Church and Chaplain Drake, our ‘new’ senior pastor of the church,” Pahrump GriefShare facilitator Marcia Savage told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We continue to accept those grieving their loved ones every week, to let them know they are not alone and have a family to help support them in this journey of grief.”
All Pahrump GriefShare meetings take place on Saturdays at Central Valley Baptist Church, 3170 S. Blagg Road, beginning at 1 p.m. Sessions are typically two hours in length.
For more information on the Pahrump chapter or to register for any of the meetings, be they regular sessions or one of the special sessions, contact Savage at 775-513-4482 or fellow facilitator Sharon Colt at 775-622-5494.
For more on the international organization as a whole visit www.GriefShare.org
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com